


Injustice: Real Emotion

by MysteryPines



Category: Injustice: Gods Among Us, Krypto the Superdog (Cartoon)
Genre: Animal Death, Canon Foreigner, Character Death, Dysthymia, F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 08:09:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20254945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysteryPines/pseuds/MysteryPines





	Injustice: Real Emotion

It was no secret to the Regime that Superman had grown cold over the years. A trait not so unusual when one has to take command of their own stationary positions be it a manager at a high end restaurant, the CEO of a company, or in the Kryptonian's case, supreme ruler of the world working to keep the 'peace' of said world from it's civilians. Needless to say, Superman has put a lot on his plate and it's draining on him mentally. 

Ever since the Joker incident involving Superman snuffing out the killer clown once and for all everything changed. The former Boy Scout took unnecessary precautions Batman would never think of executing, he treated humanity like they were unruly children that needed a time-out at best and he treated them as class A criminals should they break a law so trivial it went against the currently non-existent constitution the country stood for for two centuries. Superman was a tyrant. He knew it. Everyone in the Regime knows it too. As a civilian on this Earth you didn't have to know that little fact to feel the tension in the air. A tension that was evident when people were out and about (timid and jittery most of them were for fear of being arrested over a quirky habit or an impulsive outburst or some crap like that) yet was somehow worse when curfew occurs and there's no one out on the city sidewalks despite the evening sun still high over the horizon. A tension that hung so thick one would be better off slamming their face in a bowl of jello and started inhaling.

Everybody loved Superman.

Now, everyone fears him.

It's just what Superman wanted and it's how he's going to keep it.

However, unless you were in the Regime underneath Superman's rule, the civilians will never know that the empty soul that used to bring hope and light to world even with his cruel tactics and unfair methods that aid in his ruling with an iron fist, the tyrant can still _feel_. It's never much to be visibly evident but there were a two prominent occasions that pulled at his heartstrings. And they pulled _hard_.

Now, Kal-El isn't known nowadays to be a 'sunny' character, personality wise so to speak. The others, Flash, Cyborg, Shazam, Green Lantern, Damian, Diana, so on and so forth, often discuss to each other about the changes in their own leader. They weren't talking smack about him if that's what you're thinking. No, no, far from it. The concern and uneasiness towards their dear friend and his health left little room for criticism the Kryptonian would probably not appreciate. Superman hears many of these conversations (for the record he did not intend to eavesdrop on any of them, he was just in close proximity when they occurred and Flash still doesn't know what an indoor voice sounds like even post-Regime) about himself and can't bring himself to be mad. Because they were right. Even if there was something bad to say about him Superman isn't even sure if he himself would do something about it. Nothing seemed to confuse him as much these days.

Superman isn't the man he used to be. That's for sure

Everything started out, Superman had started his reign, with good intentions. When the Joker tricked him into killing Lois, and their unborn son, that served as the catalyst to destroying Metropolis saying that he felt distraught was a _maaajor_ understatement. Once he realized what had happened, what he had unintentionally _done, _he broke down, but not only that, the Man of Steel felt this immense amount of fear that he had never felt before his very first encounter with Doomsday. What's going to happen next? Would he have to be locked up as a menace to the planet that he had sworn to protect as his home? Will something like this occur once more but he'll end up killing Batman and destroying Gotham City? It was all a tumbling black ball of agony heavily weighing in the superhero's chest that might as well have been Kryptonite surgically lodged inside of his rib-cage; Superman could even feel the pain radiating through out his systems in waves making his limbs feel much heavier and lifeless as time went on, tears proved no better as they fell rapidly to the ground in short duration like a light rain. Superman nearly lost his mind with guilt and paranoia over everything-that has and/or could happen....until he came a conclusion that snapped him out of his bawling stupor.

It wasn't his fault. It was the _Joker's_ fault. The_ Joker_ was the last person he saw before "Doomsday" appeared. The_ Joker_ had stolen Scarecrow's fear gas. The _Joker_ setup this trap not as a means of killing him, or the bomb would have been laced with some form of Kryptonite, but to _spite_ him. The bastard clown tricked him in a low he never thought was even possible for a supervillain to reach! Superman did what he thought he had to do-end the Clown Prince of Darkness' life-and promised himself that he would never allow anyone else to ever experience the same agony of such malign intent like he did ever again. Not if he can help it.

At least, that is what he told Damian. Not that the young Wayne child ever doubted Superman and the creation of the Regime. As the product of the Goddamn Batman he is, therefore, almost supernaturally observant in reading body language and picking up nearly unnoticeable signs others could not detect, and he's seen some conflicting signs coming Superman that prove worrisome. Damian had convince a newly recruited yet very reclusive Raven to assist in keeping tabs on what Superman's state of mind as well as thoughts she may detect that may seem out of place for Superman. Surely enough, within her first few reports Damian's fears were proven correct once he began linking Superman's list of behavioral symptoms to Persistent Depressive Disorder: feelings of sadness, guilt, anger and hopelessness (oddly enough that particular feeling skyrockets whenever the Kryptonian was in solitude holding a picture frame of someone not of his late spouse but might as well have been, as Raven previously stated), his appetite hasn't been the same and he has a hard time getting to sleep however when he finally does its more trouble getting up then it was falling asleep in the first place.

Regardless Damian is willing to stand beside Superman during the reign of a new era he would bring. All of the rules and curfews were for the common good, as Damian believed. Damian _had_ to believe it. He needed to reassure himself that he was a protector, not a monster like he lead himself to believe.

With that said, Damian would find himself in a situation one year later particularly conflicting despite believing his adoptive father being in the right. On one hand, the case seemed misdirected, it made him sick just thinking about it. On the other hand, a lot of evidence pointed out very little alternatives. It was a time that started a wonderful chapter in his life yet Damian could not help the guilt of what it took to keep it there. Specifically, the person he tried to hard to keep by his side even when she wanted to leave. 


End file.
